Tangle Box
by ILETUDRIVE
Summary: I've decided to play with a lot of the current storylines, i.e, Elizabeth's pregnancy, Sam's pregnancy, Nikolas return, Lorenzo, Quartermaines etc. Ensemble Cast More complete Summary inside
1. How do you fell about that?

YOU MUST READ THE AUTHOR'S OR YOU WILL BE LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Author's Notes

I am going to incorporate a large ensemble cast (Jason, Elizabeth, Ric, Carly, Sonny, Lorenzo, Sam, Alexis, Courtney, Jax, Nikolas, Mary, Emily, Lucky) and have several different story lines going on at once. Besides those mentioned above Bobbie, the Quartermaines, Lois, the teens, all of these characters will be involved in things. This is an ambitious tale. And I really hope you want to read more. If you do I'll post a few more chapters as quick as I can and then put it into rotation with my other stories. I'm averaging two chapters a week and am going to try to push it to three, but with the length of my chapters and my schedule it's not the easiest thing to do, unless I cut the chapters down.

Critical changes/ideas in this fic:

1. The story begins in the last week of June. Elizabeth is still pregnant I'm keeping this true to the real timeline. The only people who know Zander is the father of Elizabeth's baby are Ric, Elizabeth and Zander. No one else knows anything. Everyone believes Ric is the proud papa to be.

2. Ric is suspicious of Kristina and Alexis but has no proof. And someone else begins to have suspicions as well.

3. Sam is pregnant but I played with the conception date, I'm saying she got pregnant in late April. When Sonny told her that Carly and the kids were moving back in she thought they were over got drunk and slept with Jax. The next day Sonny and her made up, so the paternity question is still a issue. As the story begins news of her pregnancy is just now starting to break. So there is no Jason issue.

4. Elizabeth is trying to get a divorce from Ric who is fighting her every step of the way. She did leave town briefly but not because of an overheard conversation between Ric and Sonny, remember no one knows. She wants out of the marriage for another reason as you will soon see. Elizabeth never confronted Zander in the so-called catastrophic event of the fire. She was never at the hotel. Ric did blackmail/threaten Zander into signing his rights away. Elizabeth voluntarily told Zander about the baby even after Ric warned her not too.

5. Zander was presumably killed in the fire.

6. Courtney and Jax still have their little bet going on. As the tale begins he has no idea Sam is pregnant and the child could possibly be his.

7. Nikolas has his memory back and has returned to his life, but things have changed. He has changed and so has everyone else. In other words things will never be the same again. Emily, Lucky, Mary, Lorenzo there are a lot of twists going to happen.

8. Lorenzo has lots of irons in the fire and is going to be involved in a lot of these premises in a variety of ways.

Disclaimer: I own everything. All of GH lore is mine, mine I tell you it's all mine. ABC merely thinks they own it but it's mine.

Distribution: Just ask me first.

Feedback: I'm not holding my breath it seems people reply in the beginning then taper out. But if you have any ideas you can put them in a reply and I might factor them in. As I mentioned its going to be large convoluted tale which will have several story lines and characters.

Okay I'm shutting up now. Read. Enjoy. Reply.

Steph

Tangle Box

Chapter 1

How do you feel about that?

Courthouse

As usual there was a definite hum of anticipation in the air. Newcomers to the District Attorney's office were so thrilled to be there they always compared the hum to a feeling of excitement just like when you were about to leave on a much-anticipated vacation. But those who had worked in the office for longer than a month compared the hum to the electric fence that surrounded a prison, trapping them inside.

The excitement that a new D.A. brought to the office had long since faded and the feeling had returned to the countdown to the next holiday as being too far away. Every new D.A. seemed to arrive spouting the same clichés _I'll clean up the streets, I'll get the drugs off our streets, I promise to get rid of the mob._ Those easy to remember catch phrases that all politicians use to get elected then promptly forget about once they are.

Ric Lansing, the current D.A. was no different, he'd made those same promises to the constituents when he had taken over for Scott Baldwin a few months ago. His promise to get rid of the mob was a little more strident then prior D.A.'s but most figured that would fade with time. The buzz in the Courthouse hadn't been about the D.A.'s promises but on the D.A. himself. Rumors of kidnapping, unlawful detainer, drugs, were whispered in the hallowed halls once the new D.A.'s back was turned. These types of rumors were the kind that titillated an office and lingered long in the minds of others.

There was a long understood, if unspoken, rule that if you wanted to know the real dirt on someone all you had to do was make a careful inquiry of a few people that worked on the third floor of the Courthouse. Those select few, along with a few select people at the hospital had the pulse of the community at their fingertips, not to mention ears big enough that they made Dumbo's look small.

So the buzz about Lansing had started long before Scott Baldwin mysteriously disappeared and Ric Lansing's equally mysterious and unexpected rise to the D.A. position. The current theory was that he had something on the mayor and had blackmailed his way into the position, but there were other theories as well. After Lansing's arrival in the office the rumors about him continued to fly and only seemed to get juicier the longer he was in office.

The old timers in the Courthouse were waffling between two predictions for the ambitious new D.A. Part of them believed that Ric Lansing had staying power and would be around for years to come, while others figured he'd be killed within a year. If you were so inclined you could even place a bet on what you thought the outcome would be in the Bailiff's lounge in the basement.

The D.A.'s office went through a change every time a new D.A. came into power. The organization always had to be tweaked lest they be compared to the outgoing, or otherwise known as the losing D.A. But through all the different D.A.'s and their deal making processes and prosecution there were some things that remained the same, namely the support staff of the office itself. The new D.A. invariably brought in their own assistant or secretary but the majority of people in the office were ones that had been there for years and would still be there long after the D.A. was gone.

That staff learned early on that Lansing tended to be more hands on then his predecessor especially when it came to the area of organized crime. If you wanted to talk about organized crime in Port Charles you had to talk about Sonny Corinthos and that topic led to another quickly known quirk of Lansing's. They quickly learned it was best not to mention Corinthos name until Lansing had had at least three cups of coffee in him. If you broached the topic too soon it could be dangerous on your eardrums.

Another fact that had been quickly discovered was that he had a knack with the ladies in the building. He could be extremely charming when he wanted to be and yet, there was something about him that made the women a little nervous. Maybe that nervousness was caused by the rumors that surrounded him, or maybe it was the look in this eye, whatever the reason the nerves could act as a deterrent.

Lansing wasn't a womanizer the way Baldwin had been but he did like to flirt. But though he may flirt one thing was perfectly clear, flirtation was as far as it would go because he loved his wife. Of course that was the way things _had_ been. They had changed rather severely in the last few months. It was no secret that his wife was divorcing him while he tried to block every attempt to get it finalized with a ruthlessness that he'd once only shown in the courtroom. There were two things Ric Lansing was determined to do. One was to get Sonny Corinthos behind bars the other was to hold onto his wife.

With all the rumors swirling around him, along with the ruthlessness he showed on a semi-daily basis there was no wonder that office sympathy was firmly with his wife Elizabeth. The staff had been a witness to several heated arguments between the couple. It seemed all she wanted was a divorce before her baby came and he refused to give her one. It was hard to feel sympathetic to Lansing when you knew what a bastard he could be. But it was easy to feel for a pregnant woman.

That feeling was what was prompting Grace Philips to break an ironclad rule she'd made years ago and get involved. Grace had worked in the D.A.'s office for 35 years and during that time she'd seen some good ones and bad ones pass through the office. She had quickly sized them up and knew on which side they fell within five minutes of meeting them and she was rarely wrong. Instinct told her Ric Lansing was going to be trouble. She never listened to office gossip, choosing instead to make up her mind, but had she listened she was sure her instinct about him would be proven right.

Between her feelings about Lansing and the fact Elizabeth Lansing was pregnant Grace had come to the decision to help the expectant mother. She'd been married for 38 years but the good Lord hadn't seen fit to bless them with a child, so her heart always remained filled with love and went out to Elizabeth.

So there was a mixture of reasons why Grace decided to risk her pension and quite possibly jail time on that bright June day. She'd never been much of a gambler but she rolled the dice in a big way when she walked into Ric Lansing's office with a large sheath of papers for him to sign. She had timed her entrance perfectly. He was on a conference call with the court and in the middle of his presentation, so other then glaring at her he automatically began signing each paper she set in front of him. Grace couldn't help but hold her breath when he came to the critical document about halfway through the stack. Would he notice it was different then the others? Would he see the blue backing and pull it out to study? She barely breathed while he signed it and moved quickly to the next.

Grace waited until she was back at her desk to begin shaking. Paging through the papers she retrieved the blue-backed one and quickly notarized it. She wasn't really breaking her oath. Ric Lansing had signed the document in front of her and that was what she was attesting too. The fact he didn't realize what he was signing was only a small detail and easily ignored. Checking her watch she picked up her purse. "I have to run out for a minute Helen. Can you watch my phone?"

"Sure. Don't forget you're retirement party starts in about 45 minutes," Helen reminded her.

"When have I ever turned down cake?" Grace asked as she headed for the door and heard Helen's distinctive cackle come from behind her.

Grace's heart was still in her throat when she entered the park and hurried down the path towards the benches near the statute of the town's founder. When she saw the brunette attempting to pace in what was nothing more than a waddle she couldn't help but smile.

Elizabeth Lansing paused mid-step. Biting her lip in a nervous habit she was trying to break she watched the older woman draw near. "Did it work?"

"Yes it did." Graced crowed triumphantly, pulling the papers from her bag she presented them to Elizabeth. "One set of divorce papers signed and notarized."

"Oh my god." Elizabeth clutched convulsively at the papers. She had been fighting for months to get him to sign the papers and now she finally had them. Somehow it seemed fitting that she had accomplished that through trickery, since most of their marriage had been based on trickery. "I don't know how to thank you."

"You can thank me by taking care of your baby." Grace brushed off the gratitude. "It's nice to do something good on my last day of work."

"Are you sure I can't pay…"

"Now hush," Grace cut her off. "My retirement was planned long before I met you, so was the round the world cruise I leave on with my husband in the morning. I did this because I wanted to, and because I knew I couldn't lose my job."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what she had done to deserve Grace Philips help but she would be grateful to the woman for the rest of her life. "Thank you."

"I better get back. Their giving me a send off complete with cake and I never miss the overly sweet frosting of store-bought cakes." Grace hurried away.

Sinking on the bench Elizabeth could only watch the blue-haired elderly woman scamper away. She'd done it. She had gotten the divorce papers signed. She didn't have to worry about being married when the baby came and what was a huge relief to her. Since finally figuring out that Ric would never change, that his vendetta for Sonny would only get more out of control and more people would get hurt. She knew she needed to keep her baby as far from Ric as she could.

When she looked in the mirror in the morning she was finally able to look herself in the eye again. Since marrying Ric she had changed in so many ways she had barely been able to recognize herself. The further away she got from Ric the clearer her thinking became. She had a lot of things to make up for, but the person she owed the most too was no longer around to forgive her. She hated the part she had played in Zander's destruction and eventual death. She knew the guilt she felt over that would never leave her. But there were others she owed an apology to and now that she could finally break free of Ric she could get started.

She had been desperate to get the divorce on file before the baby came. Since Ric wasn't the father of her baby, and if they weren't married when the baby arrived, he would have no legal claim on the child at all, and that was desperately important to her. There was no way she would risk her baby and that meant she would do anything to get the divorce through, including tricking Ric into signing the papers.

The first hurdle had been cleared thanks to Grace. Now she needed to clear the next one. Pulling her cell from her bag she called her attorney's office. "May I speak to Alexis Davis please?"

Ms. Davis is out of town until tomorrow.

"This is Elizabeth Lansing and I have to see her as soon as possible." Elizabeth tapped the papers against her thigh.

If you come by tomorrow around 11:30 I'm sure she'll see you.

"Thanks I'll be there." Elizabeth pushed awkwardly to her feet. If she had to wait a day to get these papers on file she knew she needed to find a safe place to hide them, because if Ric discovered he'd been tricked he would be furious.

Courthouse

Ric hung up the phone with a sly smile. He had won the preliminary motion and left his colleague cursing on the phone. He loved getting the better of defense attorneys. He had always been a fabulous attorney and now he finally had a job that could showcase his brilliance.

"Mr. Lansing?" Helen knocked once on the door then opened it. "We're having the farewell party for Grace. You wanted me to remind you so you could make an appearance."

"I'll be out in a few minutes." He sent her a charming smile that had her backing out of the room with a blush on her face.

Grace Philips was a smart lady he was sorry to be losing her. She was always on time, kept out of office politics, and he'd never had any trouble with her. In fact she had never made a mistake around him. Well she hadn't made a mistake until today. Frowning in memory he paused in straightening his desk. She knew no one was to interrupt him when he was on the phone especially not when he was speaking with the court but she had. What was strange was that she had continued inside the room even after seeing that he was on the phone.

If today hadn't been her last day that move would have earned her a reprimand. You had to be on the top of your game when you spoke to the Court not splitting your attention between the Judge and trying to figure out which line you should sign. The file he was holding slipped from his fingers when one of the documents he'd signed flashed in his mind. The document wasn't a subpoena or a letter, it had been another type of document entirely. In fact with the blue backing on the document it looked like a divorce decree.

"No." He tried to shake the thought away. His denial lasted another minute before he hurried for the door. He needed to get some answers from Grace.

E Street Gallery

"Ahhhh there is the most precious woman in the world." Jack McPhee brushed past a customer in obvious delight when the gallery door opened. "Darling that color does nothing for you." Grasping Elizabeth's arms he leaned close and kissed her cheeks then tutted his disapproval. "I told you lavender is your color."

Well used to Jack's theatrics Elizabeth merely smiled. "The baby disagrees with you."

"Well I'll be having a long talk with that child whenever she decides to grace us with her presence." Jack promised.

"The baby could be a boy," she reminded him.

"Darling that will be even better. I've always done well with boys, men on the other hand," he laughed loudly. "Bella why are you still on your feet? Sit. Sit." Taking a proprietary hold on her arm he led her to a chair.

Elizabeth was content to let him fuss. It was nice having someone mother her at times. With her Grandmother in Africa she didn't have a mother-like figure in her life. Her visits with Jack filled that need though she would never tell him that.

"What did you bring me?" Jack clasped his hands in anticipation.

"I have three new pieces they're in my car." She held out her keys, which Jack grabbed and tossed to an unsuspecting assistant who had to dive for them.

"Go. Do not put a spec on them or I will flay you alive." Jack warned the hapless assistant then turned to Elizabeth with a smile. "I sold the last piece I had of yours last week."

"Really?" It was hard to keep the surprise from her voice. She didn't think she'd ever get used to hearing that someone had bought her work. She was, according to the local art reporters, _a budding talent_. It still seemed unreal to her. The fact she partially owed her success to Ric unnerved her but she could live with it. She realized that Ric had only arranged for her to have a showing of her work to keep her away from the house so she wouldn't discover Carly but his trick had some unexpected results.

The show had been a success. Or at least what was considered a success for a debut artist. She hadn't even gone to the showing having been in the hospital at the time. But even without her there the show had gone on and amazingly some of her work had sold. Her work had impressed Jack, who was the gallery manager, and he'd made a deal with her to have the first right to buy any new pieces she produced.

The fact she was now a working artist thrilled her for several reasons. But the most important reason was that she didn't have to depend on Ric for anything not even alimony. What she was making for her work wasn't a huge amount but it was enough and the income seemed steady enough so when Ric had introduced alimony as a stall tactic she'd turned it down flat. Yet at the same time he was financing her new life because she never would've had a show without him. But as far as she was concerned she owed him nothing.

"I don't have the check here. The boss is supposed to bring it by later today." Jack's ramble turned into something that caught her attention.

"I'll have to come back tomorrow and get it. The money will definitely come in handy. The pieces I brought in today will be it until after the baby's born. It's getting hard for me to reach the canvas."

"Bella no more work for you." Jack cried. "Now it is up for me to sell your magnificent work. I shall not let you down."

"I hope not," she patted her stomach. "We don't want to get evicted."

"Is that hot, but nasty husband of yours still giving you problems? Because if he is," Jack lowered his voice to what he considered a whisper. "I know people."

She couldn't help but grin at his dramatics and loyalty. "Actually I think Ric is about to be put in the past."

"If you change your mind Bella let me know I'd love to talk to him."

"You just want to flirt with him again," she teased.

Jack merely hummed and got to his feet. "You call me if you need anything."

"I will." She promised and let him help her to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll have tea and dish." Jack decided in that instant. "Ciao darling."

Elizabeth always felt dazed when she left the gallery. Jack seemed to have that effect on people but she couldn't help but love his extremes. One minute he could decimate an assistant and the next would practically trip over himself to offer her a pillow. She also appreciated his hard as nails negotiating tactics. He never let a piece out the door until he'd wrung every possible penny he could from the buyer.

"Thanks." She smiled at the assistant who held the car door open for her and awkwardly got behind the wheel. The seat was back further then usual so she could fit behind the wheel, but that meant her toes barely reached the pedals. Another week and a few more inches and driving would be out entirely.

For a minute she simply sat there and tried to catch her breath, she felt unusually tired today. Wearily she checked her watch. She still had some groceries to buy and had to get the divorce papers hidden until Alexis could get them on file. Ric would possibly contest the legality of his signature but it would be his word against Grace's and she put her money on the elderly lady and Alexis. Even if the truth eventually did come out, it wouldn't be until after the baby was born and that was all that mattered.

Alexis had told her that it was important for Ric to be her ex-husband by the time the baby came otherwise it would be difficult to keep the baby from him. But once she had her divorce and Zander's name was on the birth certificate he would have no claim on her child and that was exactly what she wanted. Ric wasn't the man she thought he was, there were times he scared her, and there were some unsettling times that she thought he might even be a killer.

Shuddering at the thought she tried to shake her unproven suspicions from her mind and started her engine. When she reached for her seatbelt she was struck by numbness in her arm. That had happened several times through the day and she rubbed at her neck trying to loosen the tension. It was probably a pinched nerve in her neck because of her awkward sleeping position. If it still bothered her tomorrow she'd go to the doctor but for now she had too many other things to deal with.

Courthouse

The party was well underway by the time Ric made his appearance. Grace was surrounded by her well wishing, soon to be former colleagues and he immediately began plotting how he could get her alone. The more he considered her unusual behavior and the more he pictured the paper he'd signed without reading, the more convinced he became that he'd been tricked.

Keeping his quarry in sight he moved around the fringe of well-wishers and made conversation when he couldn't avoid it. He was well aware of the rumors that swirled about him and wasn't about to give more grist to the gossipmongers. He also knew about the pool concerning him and was determined to make people lose their money because he wasn't going anywhere.

As D.A. he had a seat of power in town. He was able to go after Sonny and others from a position of strength so he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The only problem he currently had in his life was the fact Elizabeth was determined to divorce him. Because he loved her he was determined to get her back.

He loved her, she loved him and with the baby coming she needed him as much as he needed her. On some level she must have realized that otherwise she would have told people that Zander was the father of the baby she was carrying. The fact she hadn't, because she continued to let people believe he was the father convinced him that she still loved him even if she was angry with him. If he could ride out her anger things would eventually settle between them and he would finally have the family he always longed for.

There was no way he was going to let the divorce go through not when he was so close to having it all. That meant if Grace had pulled a fast one on him he needed to find out and fix it before anyone else found out. When Grace headed for the hall that led to the restroom he seized the chance and followed her. "Grace."

Startled by the call Grace came to a halt. This was the moment she'd been dreading all day. There was a chance that he'd figured out what she'd done and if he confronted her about it she wasn't sure what she'd say. "Mr. Lansing." Turning she offered a tentative smile. "Did you need something?"

Ric saw the uneasy look in her eyes and that only increased his curiosity. "I wanted to speak with you."

"About what?" She asked nervously.

Hearing the breathless quality in her voice Ric immediately knew that if he had to break her he could without too much effort. "Why trying to convince you to stay of course." He stepped closer. "Or was there something else you wanted to discuss with me?"

The softly delivered yet cold question convinced Grace that he definitely suspected something. But 35 years in the D.A.'s office had taught her a few things. Suspicion didn't mean a damn without proof to back it up. All she had to do was deny everything and by the time her lie came out she'd be out of town. "I'm sorry Mr. Lansing I'm ready to retire. My husband and I are leaving in the morning on an around the world cruise."

"That's nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Ric's smile was charmingly deceptive. "I'm sure you have your paperwork in order don't you?"

Not built for lying she flinched when he said paperwork and unwittingly gave herself away. "Y-yes."

"The last of it was signed earlier today wasn't it?" His tone was one he used to his best advantage in the courtroom.

"Yes." She backed away. "I need to use the restroom. It was nice working for you Mr. Lansing."

Seeking confirmation for something that was becoming sickeningly clear to him he caught her hand before she could turn away. "Are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell me?"

"If there is I'm sure you'll hear it soon enough."

Before Ric could react to her admission two women entered the hallway and Grace used their entrance to walk away from him. Infuriated Ric ignored their greeting and headed directly for the elevator. Even though Grace hadn't come out and admitted what she'd done what she had said convinced him he'd been tricked into signing his divorce papers. He had to get them back before they could be filed with the Court clerk. He knew Alexis was at an out of town hearing today so that gave him the night to get the papers back.

E Street Gallery

"Lorenzo." Jack practically cooed at the sight of his boss. The man may be straight but he knew how to wear his clothes, Jack always appreciated that in a man.

"Jack." Lorenzo Alcazar sent a distracted smile in his direction and scanned the mail. "Anything new?"

"Elizabeth was here. She brought us three new pieces and they are very good. Our little discovery is improving with every effort." Jack praised his favorite artist.

"That's good." Lorenzo had been pleasantly surprised by the quality of Elizabeth Lansing's work. He'd let Ric book the show in his gallery out of curiosity and a desire to see what the man was up too and had ended up making a tidy profit on her work. "Did you tell her I had a check for her?"

"Yes and if you ask me its not a moment to soon." Jack groused. "That bastard of a husband of hers is bleeding her dry in legal fees by fighting the divorce."

Lorenzo agreed with the man's assessment and was surprised by how he felt about it. He didn't like the fact Ric wasn't letting her go when it was so obvious she wanted to be away from him. The only reason he could come up with to explain his concern for a woman who was essentially a stranger was that he'd once saved her life. Because of that he must feel partially responsible for her.

"She said she'd come by tomorrow for her check. Elizabeth also said that this would be her last work until after the baby comes." Jack studied the gallery with a critical eye. "I want to display her work in the west window and bleed anyone who wants to buy it dry before letting them leave."

"That's prime location are you sure her work is worthy?" Lorenzo asked.

"Of course its worthy." Feathers ruffled Jack stalked away and kept muttering. "Questioning my opinion…"

Amused Lorenzo watched his excitable manager go. He would defer to Jack's advice, he always did. But he liked to set Jack off whenever he could because it was amusing to watch him rage. After a minute he set the mail on the counter and decided to deliver the check to Elizabeth today.

Still fuming Jack turned to unleash another volley of displeasure only to discover his boss was gone. Unwilling to let his temper fade he turned again until he spied an assistant who hadn't had the sense to hide. "You clean out the west window to make room for the new pieces."

The assistant nodded.

"What are you waiting for?" Jack demanded. "Move like you life depends on it because it does."

Brownstone

Elizabeth was humming when she pulled up in front of her new home. Thanks to Bobbie she had a large two-bedroom apartment for her use. She knew Bobbie had given her a deal on the space because of their long friendship but she didn't let that stand in her way. Pride was something she had but she was also practical. She needed a nice, secure place to live with her child and there was no way she could afford such a nice apartment without Bobbie's unrealistic rental price. Who knows if she kept selling her work she might be able to start paying full rent before she had planned. Having Bobbie living upstairs was another bonus, a registered nurse on the premises was always a good idea.

The day was warm. In the month of June most days were but for some reason she felt warmer than she thought she should. A large glass of lemonade and a nap on the couch would rejuvenate her and all that was standing in her way was the grocery bag in the trunk. Leaning in the trunk as far as she could and reached for the bag.

"Let me get that for you."

Startled Elizabeth jerked and hit her head on the trunk lid. "What are you doing here Ric?" Turning she rubbed at the sudden pain on the back of her head.

"I wanted to see you." As always when faced with his wife he was struck with how beautiful she was. Elizabeth had always been a beautiful woman but pregnancy had brought a special glow to her that you couldn't help but notice. Today, however, something seemed different. She looked tired, more tired then she usually did. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Elizabeth crossed her arms over her protruding stomach. "I thought I asked you to contact Alexis if you needed to speak with me."

"I'm not going to go through an attorney to speak with my own wife."

"I won't be your life very much longer." She retorted angrily.

"It won't work Elizabeth."

"What won't work?" She asked crossly and began fanning herself with her purse. Why was she so warm today?

"Tricking me into signing the divorce papers. It won't work. The signature will never stand up in Court." Studying her face he looked for a tell.

"I don't know about any trickery." Elizabeth answered calmly. "All I know is that signed papers were delivered to me today. Your copy is probably waiting for you at the office."

"Why are you doing this to us?" When he reached out to her she shied away and he dropped his hands. "We love each other."

"How can you love someone when you don't even know them?" She asked sadly.

"You know me." Ric cried and reached for her again.

"No I don't." She evaded his hand by picking up the grocery bag and slammed the trunk lid closed. "I only know what you decide to tell me or when you have no choice because some lie blows up in your face. That's not what I want. You're not what I want. You're not good for me of for my baby."

"I love the baby." He whispered and it was true.

"Maybe you should have remembered that before you kil…." She stopped just short of accusing him of her deepest fear. "Ric I don't love you anymore. I want a divorce and I want you to stay away from me."

Devastated by her words Ric could only stare at her. Elizabeth used his immobility to her advantage and headed for her apartment. She was nearing the steps that led down to the garden apartment when he stepped in her path.

"Give me the papers Elizabeth." Ric was growing desperate. He knew if he stalled the divorce until after the baby was born it would be harder for her to extricate him from their lives. He also knew that in the eyes of the law if they were still married when the baby was born he would be deemed the legal father even if the paternity said differently.

"I don't have the papers. They were filed in the clerk's office." While she bluffed she kept her eyes locked on his.

Ric snatched the bag from her hands. "Let's talk inside."

"No." Elizabeth stubbornly held her ground. "I told you I don't want you in my home."

"That doesn't make any sense." Frustrated Ric began to yell. "Tell me what happened to change your mind about me. I can't fix things until I know what I did wrong. We were getting along. Zander was gone and we were moving forward then one day out of the blue you asked me for a divorce and left town. What the hell happened?" He demanded an answer to the question that haunted him at night.

"I won't discuss Zander with you, not with you." She hissed and took a step back. She couldn't tell him what she thought, that she believed he'd killed Zander, she didn't know what he'd do if he knew she suspected him. "I want you to go. Just leave me alone."

"Elizabeth?" Ric suddenly realized she was afraid of him and that horrified him.

"Is there a problem here?" Bobbie Spencer interrupted the argument by slamming the door.

"This is a private matter." Ric replied coldly and his glare ordered her to leave them alone.

"It's not a private matter when you're yelling on my front stoop." Bobbie was equally cold and hurried down the steps until she was beside Elizabeth. "I believe she asked you to leave. I'm not that nice. Get out."

"You don't want to get in the middle of this."

"And you don't want to threaten me." Bobbie warned him. She had been itching to go a few rounds with Ric ever since she found out what he did to her daughter. "This is my property Mr. Hot Shot D.A. and you have ten seconds to get off of it before I call the cops."

Ric glared at her for a long minute while he weighed her threat. She definitely meant what she said, knowing that he stepped back. "This isn't over Elizabeth. It will never be over between us."

"Goodbye Ric."

Ric thrust the bag of groceries at Bobbie and stalked off. Elizabeth didn't take her eyes off of him or take a breath until his car roared away. "Thanks for your help."

"Anytime." Bobbie smiled at the woman who had become a surrogate daughter and her smile faded when she saw the obvious strain on Elizabeth's face. "Do you feel okay?"

"I'm just tired." Elizabeth turned from the concern and made her way slowly down the three stairs that led to the outside door to the entry way and then to her apartment.

"You need to get more rest." Bobbie trailed her inside the Brownstone and waited for her to unlock the door.

"It's hard to sleep when you're carrying around a bowling ball inside of you." Elizabeth complained.

Bobbie chuckled at the familiar complaint and began putting the groceries away. "Nevertheless you need to put your feet up more often in these final weeks. With your history its better safe then sorry."

"Yes mom." The reply was half obedient and half tease and caused Bobbie to grin.

"You also need to avoid stress that means stay away from Ric."

"Tell him to stay away from me." Elizabeth countered.

"Don't worry I will." Bobbie promised. "I need to get to work if you need anything call me and I'll get Lucas to help you."

"I will." Elizabeth called out when the older woman began to walk away. "Bobbie thanks for everything. What you're doing for me means more than you possibly know."

"Just remember me when your rich and famous and we'll call it even." She made light of Elizabeth's words but her heart was warmed by them. She hesitated then decided to push. "Are you worried he might go for custody?"

"No. Not anymore." Elizabeth replied cryptically. "He won't get near my baby not now."

Bobbie wanted to press for more details but knew she had to get to work. "Remember call me."

"I will."

Opening her purse Elizabeth pulled out the divorce papers. She had stopped at the bank and had her signature notarized. All that remained was to get them on file with the court. Ric's visit confirmed he knew he'd been tricked. She didn't think he would be able to stop Alexis from filing the papers. The only way he could stop her was if he got a hold of them before she could get them on file. Sooner or later he would find out she had been bluffing when she'd said they had already been filed, and that meant he'd be back, so she needed to get them hidden, now.

The garden apartment, besides being huge and all hers, had also been a treasure trove of hidden delights. She'd discovered, mostly by accident that there were built-in false panels and cubbyholes in different places in the apartment. She'd found out that Felicia Scorpio-Jones had once lived in the apartment and figured Felicia had put them in. Somehow she couldn't picture the last tenant, Lieutenant Taggert, hiding things in hidden compartments.

Until now she hadn't had anything worthy of being hidden inside one of those cubbyholes. Now that she had she knew exactly which one she should use. Pushing off from the bar stool she got to her feet and the room made a slow spin. "Whoa." She gripped the counter until the dizziness passed. Her blood sugar must be getting low. She needed to add a snack to her lemonade.

Determined to get the papers to safety Elizabeth headed for the utility closet and took out a small stepladder. Soon she had the ladder placed in front of the built-in bookcases. Carefully she climbed to the top of the three-step ladder until she could reach the shelf that she had put some of her framed photos on. She moved the pictures to the side and pressed the trigger that exposed a small hole inside the wall and put the papers inside of it. The hole had been professionally done. She had only discovered it by accident so she knew it wasn't visible to the naked eye. But she took no chances and spread the photos out in front of the space.

Relieved she let out a heavy sigh and began to climb back down the ladder. A severe bolt of pain lanced through the left side of her body rendering her numb. She didn't even have time to scream before blackness overtook her and she fell.

* * *

"Mama." Carly Corinthos yelled as soon as she opened the door and moved through the small entryway into the living room. "Are you here?"

Muttering under her breath when she didn't receive an answer Carly checked the family room and living room but her mother was nowhere to be found. It appeared she had walked to work again because her car was parked outside. Carly hated when she did that. How was she supposed to know when Bobbie was home if she didn't drive her car every time she left?

Since Zander had taught her how to drive the year before she took great pleasure in driving as much as she could. In a way it was for Zander. His death had hit her hard even though she hadn't showed it. His death triggered memories of their friendship, memories she had blocked for months, and she felt bad that she had turned on him the way she had. Driving when she could was one way she could keep his memory alive. But she still wouldn't drive when the kids were in the car. There were some things she wouldn't risk.

Irritated that her mother wasn't there when she wanted to talk to her Carly headed for the door. She'd just reached it when she had a thought and turned around to look in the direction of the back stairs that led to the self contained apartment downstairs. There was a chance Bobbie was downstairs with her favorite new tenant, Elizabeth. She was tempted to break things up. Bobbie was her mother not Elizabeth's and she wasn't about to let Elizabeth get between them. She took a step in that direction before turning back to the door. She wasn't in the mood for a scene she had too many other things on her mind.

Carly headed outside and slammed the door hard to insure it locked before heading down the stairs. She only made it a step when she saw an unexpected sight. "What are you doing here?"

Looking up at the woman he loved Lorenzo felt his breath catch. Even when she was only glaring at him in suspicion she was beautiful. "Carly."

"Are you following me?" His gaze made her pulse stutter and that made her angry. It wasn't right that she was still attracted to him not after all he'd done.

"No I'm not following you. This is just an unexpected surprise." He smiled up at her.

"Yeah right." Unnerved by the smile she hurried down the stairs, coming to a stop on the last one so they would be eye level. "You and my mother have so much to talk about you always drop by her house in the middle of the day."

Lorenzo could see the curiosity that she tried to mask with her sarcasm and decided to make her work for her answers. "Why should it matter to you if I do speak with Bobbie?"

"Because she's my mother," she retorted. "We're no longer involved so you have nothing to talk to her about."

"Do you really think you're the only reason I'd speak with Bobbie?" He needled her temper and wasn't surprise by the response he'd got.

"You stay away from my mother." Carly ordered angrily.

"I will," he promised and waited for her to relax before going on, "when she asks me to."

Furious Carly was tempted to yell. Rationally she knew nothing was going on between Lorenzo and her mother but rational thought always took a backseat to her temper. Putting her hands on her hips she did her best to glare him down. "Look here…"

"Carly I don't have time for your jealous theatrics." Hiding his smile and knowing his statement would drive her crazy he cut her off. "I have someone to see."

"I am not jealous." Carly yelled.

"Right." Letting his smirk show he turned for the stairs that led to the garden apartment and had no doubt she would soon follow.

"Where the hell are you going?" Primed for a fight she wasn't about to let him make a comment like that and walk away from her.

"I told you I have someone to see." Walking casually down the stairs he opened the door and walked inside.

Carly stared after him in shock. He couldn't be going to see Elizabeth. She hurried after him. There was no way she was going to let Ms. Muffin Face get her claws into him. Determined to find out what was going on she tore through the door and ran into a waiting Lorenzo. The instant their bodies touched the temperature in the small entryway shot up. The strong pull between them was still there and they both felt it. Her eyes locked on his and Carly was slow to step back.

Lorenzo could see the banked desire in her eyes. She still wanted him that much was obvious. And her jealous reaction confirmed to him that she still cared. "Did you need something else?"

That was a loaded question if she ever heard one so Carly didn't answer and instead shoved him aside and knocked hard on the door. Both were surprised when the door swung open. "I'm only here to protect my mother if she's here. You and Elizabeth are welcome to each other." She pronounced and walked inside the unfamiliar apartment. "Oh my god."

"What?" Concerned Lorenzo hurried after her. It took him only seconds to see Elizabeth lying on the floor in the next room, but in that time Carly had already ran forward to help.

"Elizabeth?" Carly crouched beside the unconscious woman and carefully touched her head. "She's bleeding."

Lorenzo shoved the small stepladder out of the way and it flew back down the hall. "Is she breathing?"

"Yes." Carly checked her pulse. "It's thready and too slow." Barely remembered facts from her brief stint in nursing school came back to her and what she remembered made her believe Elizabeth was in bad shape.

"There's water on the floor." Lorenzo announced and they both looked at Elizabeth's protruding stomach and knew what that meant. Hurriedly he pulled out his cell and called 911.

Carly pulled an afghan off the back of the nearby couch and laid it on top of Elizabeth. "Tell them to hurry."

When Elizabeth moaned and moved Carly tried to calm her. "Don't move Elizabeth. Help is on the way." She could hear Lorenzo telling the dispatcher what was going on and took comfort from the fact he was here with her.

"Don't let him take my baby." Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open but there was no recognition in them. "Don't take my baby."

"No one is going to take your baby." Carly responded to the soon to be mom's desperate plea and took Elizabeth's hand in hers.

"Ric."

Carly grimaced at her former kidnapper's name. "He'll be contacted."

"No." Elizabeth's eyes cleared for a minute and locked on Carly. She didn't know what was happening to her but she knew it was bad and her only thought was her baby. "Don't let him near the baby."

"Who?" Carly asked in confusion.

"Ric. Don't let him near the baby. Promise me." Elizabeth clutched convulsively at Carly's hand. "Don't let him take it."

Carly shot a confused look in Lorenzo's direction.

"Promise." Her words began to slur as the pain in her chest came back. "Carly please."

"I promise." Carly vowed and was horrified when Elizabeth slipped into unconsciousness again. She could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance and knew it was only a matter of time before they arrived. She wondered if would be soon enough. When Lorenzo's hand covered hers and Elizabeth's she made no effort to pull away.

General Hospital

The clock had obviously been through a lot and it showed its wear and tear to the world. Even though there were wire bars surrounding the clock face the glass behind the bars was still broken. Broken or not the second hand still moved and it seemed to be moving very slowly.

Carly wasn't sure why she was still sitting in the waiting room. It wasn't like Elizabeth and her were friends but even though she had had found Elizabeth more than two hours ago, even though she had blood on her clothes from Elizabeth's head wound, Carly hadn't left. Maybe she stayed because she remembered how Elizabeth had tried to help when she thought Sonny was dead. Maybe she stayed because Jason would have wanted her too. Or maybe she had stayed because she remembered her promise to a desperate woman about her child.

A noise coming from her left drew her attention and a glare when her eye fell on a pacing Ric. The bastard had showed up about 45 minutes after Elizabeth had been admitted. She didn't know how he found out what happened but he'd walked in the door demanding answers and she had smiled when he hadn't gotten any. The only information any one of them had was that Elizabeth was in surgery having a C-Section.

Next a noise from her right caught her attention and she turned to look at Lorenzo. She couldn't figure out why he'd stayed. She still didn't know why he had been looking for Elizabeth in the first place, and that fact bugged her enormously. The three people in the waiting room hadn't said a word to one another but they were all aware of each other and glares were pervasive.

Carly rubbed at the bloodstain on her pants and tried not to think about what had made it but it was impossible. Elizabeth's desperate plea to keep Ric from her baby resonated within her. She couldn't help but remember when Michael had been kept from her when she went to Ferncliff. She couldn't help remember the months she'd spent in the Quartermaine mansion paralyzed by the threat of being sent away from Michael back into Ferncliff. She couldn't help but think about when Sonny had been planning to take the baby she lost from her. And more importantly she couldn't help but remember how desperate she had felt when he kept Michael and Morgan from her.

She might not be the best mother in the world but she did love her kids. And she knew how desperately she had fought to keep them. And because of that memory she was very aware of how Elizabeth was feeling. Carly had never understood why Elizabeth had taken Ric back in the first place. But whatever delusion she had been under to do that had obviously been lifted and she finally knew what kind of man Ric really was. She didn't blame her for not wanting him anywhere near her child. But she also knew it would be difficult to do because he was the baby's father.

The payphone on the wall called to her but she remained seated. She wasn't going to call Jason or anyone else until she knew what was up with Elizabeth and her baby. Being Elizabeth's protector was a role she never thought she'd play but that was how she felt at the moment. But that didn't mean she couldn't protect Jason at the same time. The best way to do that was to keep him away until Elizabeth was out of surgery. Courtney had told her how concerned he had been for Elizabeth when she was hospitalized. She could only imagine how he would feel now. So she merely sat and bided her time.

Ric couldn't seem to do anything other than pace. He couldn't sit. He couldn't stand still. If he kept moving the fear couldn't take hold. He had almost lost it when he'd found out she was admitted to the hospital. That fear had only grown when he'd seem the blood on Carly's clothes. She had refused to tell him what had happened so that only made things worse as his imagination raced.

He couldn't help but replay his earlier confrontation with Elizabeth. He shouldn't have pressed her like that. She didn't need anymore stress in her life. And yet he really hadn't had a choice. He needed to get those papers from her. It hadn't taken him long to find out they hadn't been filed. That meant she still had them. But at the moment the papers took a backseat to his worry.

Lorenzo wasn't sure why he was sitting in a hospital waiting room. He'd had dinner plans with Sage but canceled them to sit quietly in a waiting room to find out about a woman he hardly knew. That unfamiliar yet nagging concern wouldn't allow him to leave until he knew she would be okay.

It wasn't as if they were friends. He knew he made her uneasy that was why he normally let Jack handle all the meetings with her. But he couldn't help but respect the way she was fighting to carve out a life for herself and her child. His spur of the moment decision to deliver the check to her probably saved her life and for that he was glad. But for now all he could do was wait and see if he had arrived soon enough.

"Bobbie." Carly was the first to spy the surgical nurse and quickly hurried to her side. "How's the baby?"

Spying Ric Bobbie chose to look at her daughter and tell her what she knew instead of him. "The baby was premature but everything looks fine with her. She's in an incubator for now but she wasn't underweight and all her organs were formed. She should be fine."

Carly sighed in relief. She knew the pain of losing a child and wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"What about Elizabeth?" Ric asked.

Bobbie averted her eyes. "Doctor Quartermaine will be out in a few minutes to tell you about her status."

"Wait Monica operated?" Carly was confused. "She's a heart surgeon why is she delivering babies?"

"I'll let her explain." Bobbie was exhausted and frustrated. She always felt frustrated when she was helpless and because it was Elizabeth she felt even worse.

"It's bad isn't it?" Carly whispered.

"I'm afraid it is Carly." Monica Quartermaine announced briskly from the door.

"What's wrong with my wife?" Ric rounded on her immediately.

"There were some unexpected complications with Elizabeth." Monica began.

"Cut to the chase Monica." Carly ordered her ex mother-in-law and current enemy.

"Fine. She had a stroke." Monica snapped.

"How can a woman in her early twenties have a stroke?" Lorenzo was the first to recover from the shock of the unexpected announcement.

"It happens," Monica turned to address him. "Its very rare and normally only occurs in families with a history of heart disease."

"Normally?" Ric felt a vise lock around his heart that was probably very much like what Elizabeth had felt.

"Elizabeth has no history of heart disease in her family. It's true that Steve died from a heart attack, but that is the only instance and there were other contributing factors to his death so we don't consider his death as being a pattern. Besides in most instances the heart disease effects more people when it comes from the maternal side."

"Then what caused this?" Ric asked.

"Right now we don't know. All I know is that a seemingly healthy young woman is now in intensive care. We won't know how bad the stroke was until she regains consciousness. All we can do now is monitor her progress and wait."

Once again flashes of memory from nursing school came back to Carly and a sickening feeling replaced the shock she was feeling. "Could drugs have been a factor?" She addressed Monica but looked at Ric.

"I'm sorry?" Monica asked in puzzlement.

"I want to know if drugs could be a contributing factor to her stroke." Keeping a rapidly paling Ric in sight Carly repeated her question. She could tell by his expression that he knew where she was heading with her pointed questioning.

"Drugs could be a possibility. Any drug will place strain on the organs, and continued use will only increase that strain. But I have to say her tox screen was negative and I know Elizabeth doesn't take drugs," Monica answered.

"Oh the drugging happened months ago." Carly replied breezily and stepped closer to Ric. "And it wasn't done by her choice or with her knowledge."

"Back off Carly." Ric warned her and tried desperately to process what Monica had said.

"What's the matter Ric don't you want people to know how you repeatedly drugged your wife in order to keep your secrets?" She asked loudly drawing passerby's attention. "Secrets like holding me hostage so you could steal my child?"

When Carly moved even closer to an obviously furious Ric, Lorenzo couldn't help but move closer as well. He wanted to be ready to intervene if it became necessary.

"Congratulations Ric your actions gave your wife a stroke." Carly practically spit the words in his face. "How do you feel about that?"


	2. I warned you what could happen

Note's: First of all thank you so much for the warm welcome. I've never had that many replies for a chapter all at once. You're suckering me into a false sense of security aren't you? That way when the fall comes it will be even more brutal.

I thought so.

Anyway there is more cast integration in this chapter and that will continue to happen as the chapters progress. In fact next chapter will focus on setting up what is going on in the lives of 8 more familiar Port Charles characters. So if some storyline you really like or a character hasn't made an appearance yet, don't worry they will. I want to make this a true ensemble fic with lots of different storylines.

Let me know what you think.

Steph

* * *

Tangle Box

Chapter 2

I warned you what could happen.

General Hospital

It was strange how a room partially full of people and a nurse's station that was packed could all fall silent in the same instant. But that was what had happened. Carly's heated accusation had traveled in every direction and anyone within a radius of about 15 feet now took an extreme interest in the town's new D.A.

"Shut up." Ric snarled and came damn close to shoving her as well. For the first time in a long time he had forgotten where he was and the image he was trying to portray, instead he let his emotions out and the words flew. "You don't know what you're talking about so you better shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

"You'll shut it for me?" Carly's incredulousness carried throughout the room but only lasted a few seconds and then her tone turned even nastier. "Did you forget about the months you had me locked in a secret room in your house? Did you forget how you chained me to a wall? Did you forget about the monitors that gave me a view of your house? And just happened to show you spiking Elizabeth's drink on more than one occasion? Maybe you even forgot how Lorenzo here saved Elizabeth's life once before because of what you did to her."

A titter ran through the crowd as Carly's words sunk in. Bobbie had never actually heard a titter before but felt that word definitely fit what was going on at the moment. For once she was content to let her daughter go off on someone without intervening. In fact if Carly faltered she was more then willing to step in.

"I remember doing that." Lorenzo added fuel to the fire. It was entertaining watching Carly get so worked up. It was also nice to see her temper focused on someone else for a change.

"And who was it that suggested I kill Elizabeth while she was in the hospital?" Forgetting himself entirely Ric turned on Lorenzo and the titter of the crowd turned into a full-fledged murmur.

"Why would I bother to save Elizabeth's life and then turn around and tell you to kill her?" Lorenzo replied calmly well aware that Carly could read him better then most he was careful with his words and expression.

The accusation was a new one to Carly and caused her to pause for a minute, before deciding to sort out what the accusation meant later and continue to focus her ire on Ric. "Someone should have put you down years ago. That's what they do to rabid dogs."

"I know that why do you think Sonny's been shot so many times?" Ric fired back.

"You're not good enough to shine Sonny's shoes." Carly snapped and would have moved even closer to the man she hated if Bobbie hadn't caught her arm. "Sonny may have done a lot of things but he's never drugged his wife and caused her to have a stroke."

"No he just shot his pregnant wife in the head." He leaned forward with a slight smirk. "Did he ever say oops sorry about that Carly? Did he ever apologize? Or did he just hate that he missed and you lived?" When provoked Ric could be as cruel as Carly.

Infuriated Carly slapped Ric before anyone could even think to stop her.

"That's enough." Monica stepped between the two before blood could be shed and Lorenzo helped by pulling Carly back. "This is a hospital not some back alley. Either shut the hell up or I'll get security to escort you out of the building."

"That's a good idea Doctor Quartermaine. I want you to get security here now and have them take this psycho out of the building. It's obvious that she shouldn't be allowed near any patient, especially not my wife. There's no telling what she would do to them in her present state of mind." Ignoring his throbbing cheek Ric strove to reassert his power and do damage control at the same time.

It might have taken him time to realize there were very curious people around watching the confrontation with a great deal of interest. But now that he had he wasn't going to give them anything else to whisper about. The only way to shut them us was to get Carly away from him. Carly had the power to get beneath his skin the way very few people could. It wasn't surprising given their convoluted history but he couldn't let it get out of hand. Not now and not with so many witnesses. He had to be the epitome of an in control yet concerned husband.

"You don't tell me what to do." Carly tried to pull away from the hands that were holding her back but couldn't. The initial reason for her anger was forgotten at the moment. Now the anger spilling out of her came from deep inside and had built over the year plus since Ric had been in her life making it miserable. Because of Sonny's misguided sense of family she had done her best to avoid Ric whenever possible. But faced with him her temper was finally being unleashed and there was no way she was going to stem it.

"Actually in this case I can tell you what to do. I'm Elizabeth's husband that means I speak for her while she is incapacitated. I control who sees her and who doesn't. Believe me Carly you won't be the list."

"So now you have Elizabeth on a chain." Carly commented cruelly and saw him flinch.

"You forget that Elizabeth's divorcing you Ric." Bobbie broke into the conversation with venom of her own. "She doesn't want you anywhere near her or her baby. In fact she told you to stay away just a few hours ago."

"That doesn't matter now. Legally I'm her husband and that means I'm in control of her care, until she can take it over for herself." Ric turned to address Monica. "I want to see my wife."

"She's in recovery you can't see her now." Monica hedged when he glared at her. "You can see her in the morning."

"Doctor Quartermaine do you really want me to get the hospital's counsel down here? Do you want me to bring in the police to enforce my rights? Do you want me to get a judge to leave his dinner table to sign an order removing you from her case?" Ric's trademark ruthlessness came out with a vengeance. "You have five minutes to take me to my wife or be prepared to spend the next ten years in court."

"Monica." Bobbie shook her head in warning.

"You can see her in about an hour. She'll be out of recovery by then. You will not be allowed to see her for more then 15 minutes." Monica replied stiffly and turned to walk away.

"Monica!"

"You know we don't have a choice." Monica cut her best friend off but Bobbie pursued her down the hall.

Shaking her head Carly took a step forward and this time Lorenzo let her go. "You will never be anything but a weak spineless coward. Who desperately clings to people that after they see you for who you really are can't get away from you fast enough. Elizabeth knows who you really are. She finally sees the truth about you." Her voice lowered and the pitch of her voice took on a tempting tone. "Do you want to know what Elizabeth's last words were?"

Ric hated her phrasing but couldn't help his insatiable need to know. "What?"

"She begged me," she pointed at her chest. "A woman she can't stand, and yet she still begged me to keep you away from her child." Seeing him flinch she continued to inflict pain on him with her words. "Elizabeth was lying on the floor in her own blood and her only thought, her only desire was to keep her baby safe from you."

"No." Ric tried desperately to block the image her words were creating from his mind, but it was impossible. He was someone who painted pictures with his words. He had to in court to sway a jury to his interpretation of a crime, but he wasn't the only who had that ability. In that moment Carly did. He couldn't help but see his wife lying on the floor, bleeding, helpless, and begging a sometime enemy for help.

"In that instant she asked someone she dislikes, maybe even hates, to save her child from the monster she married. And it was only when I promised I would did she finally succumb to the pain and pass out." Carly smiled in triumph when Ric turned pasty.

Unwilling to hear anymore Ric turned and walked away. He could feel eyes on him from the curious onlookers that had been listening to the brutal exchange and ignored them. He wouldn't give Carly or them the satisfaction of seeing him break. If he had to break he would do it in private because the public persona had to remain intact no matter what. The elevator doors opened before him and he walked on it without even checking if it was going down or up.

He forced himself to turn to face the curious stares and made sure his face was impassive when he did. The whispers would start the moment the door closed but he wouldn't let them know it bothered him. He had learned at an early age how to hide what he was feeling and he was using that to his best advantage now.

"Why the hell is that bastard still alive?" Carly asked no one in particular.

"Ask your husband." Lorenzo couldn't help but make the dig and wasn't surprised when Carly turned on him.

"I wouldn't be so damned cocky if I were you."

"I can't help being cocky." Lorenzo turned the double entendre with ease he was born with and a half smile designed to irritate.

Amused when she didn't want to be Carly couldn't help her response and when she spoke they moved instantly from tease to intimate. "What the hell did I see in you?"

"You saw a man who was willing to put you before everything else in his life and you've never been treated like that before and wanted to see how it felt." Lowering his voice he moved closer and kept his eyes locked on hers. "And when you realized there was someone in the world who would and could love you the way you always wanted to be loved you got scared. And when you got scared you ran back to the life you were used to. A life in which you are lied to on occasion, where you are dismissed at times, doubted at times, and made to feel inferior around others. You stay in that life because you think you deserve it, because it's familiar so when you want more you fight the feeling and settle for less."

Stunned by his observation Carly could think of no return to offer, no comeback to put him in his place. All she felt was incredibly raw as if someone had ripped a layer of skin from her exposing a wound to the world. Not liking the feeling an uncharacteristically quiet Carly turned on her heel and headed for the elevator.

Watching her leave Lorenzo couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He knew he'd hurt her but couldn't help but wonder if she finally heard him. Carly was very good at lying to herself, to blinding herself to anything that got in the way of whatever dream she was weaving in her life at the moment. But she'd just got a big bucket of reality in her face and he couldn't help but wonder if it would have any effect.

* * *

"Damn." Bobbie slammed the phone receiver down hard, then picked it up and slammed it down again even harder.

"I take it you didn't reach Alexis." Monica was always amused by her friend's temper. The red hair might come from a bottle but Bobbie had the redhead temperament in spades.

"I've left messages on her machine, on her voice mail, with her service. Where the hell is she?" Bobbie demanded an answer and fully expected her friend to give it to her.

"I don't know."

"Can't we stall him?" Bobbie asked.

"I wish we could Bobbie." Monica's regret was genuine. She liked Elizabeth she'd liked her ever since Emily had first brought her around. She knew Elizabeth had helped Emily through things in her life she hadn't been able to confide in her family. And for that Monica would always be grateful.

"But they're divorcing. If Ric weren't such a bastard they would already be divorced. He has no right to be anywhere near Elizabeth much less making decisions about her care." Bobbie pled her unconscious friend's case.

"I agree Bobbie and if I could I would throw him out myself. But the law is pretty clear in this area and we both know that. The fact is they are still married, so unless Elizabeth prepared paperwork to bar Ric from taking control in a situation like this, our hands our tied. Until Elizabeth regains consciousness we have to defer to Ric's decisions about her care." There were times she hated the politics of her job and this was one of those times.

"I'll try Alexis again." Bobbie dialed a phone number she'd quickly memorized. "Now its busy." She slammed it down again.

"Doctor Quartermaine." Ric walked down the hall and his step faltered when he saw the open hostility on both women's faces. "You said I could see Elizabeth when she was out of recovery. She's out, so I want to see her."

Sending an apologetic look in Bobbie's direction Monica reluctantly moved to join him. "You can't stay long, only 15 minutes." She reminded him as they walked towards ICU.

Muttering to herself Bobbie hurriedly dialed the phone and heard the buzz of a busy signal in her ear. "Get off the damn phone Alexis."

"Is there a problem?" Lorenzo almost smiled when he was glared at with a look that was very similar to Carly's. Mother and daughter were obviously very much alike when it came to temperament.

"Why are you still here?" Bobbie demanded suspiciously.

"Boredom." Lorenzo offered along with a charming smile. "And why are you out here when Ric is in there with Elizabeth?"

"Because I need Alexis to get him the hell away from her." Bobbie tried the number again but it was still busy. "Damn."

"I'll leave you to it then." Lorenzo walked away from the increasingly irate redhead. He had only made it a few feet when the nagging sense of responsibility he felt for Elizabeth kicked in. When she recovered he was going to have pick a fight with her to get rid of the unwanted feeling. "Do you want me to track her down for you?" Turning he asked Bobbie a question he didn't want to hear the answer to.

A refusal came automatically to her lips but she didn't give voice to it. Instead she looked down the hall where Monica and Ric had disappeared. She should leave and find Alexis herself but she didn't want to leave Elizabeth alone with Ric. It didn't matter that there would be nurse's monitoring his every move through the glass partition, she wanted to be the one watching him. She owed Elizabeth that much. Her guilt over the fact she hadn't pressed Elizabeth this afternoon was haunting her.

"I guess not." Relieved Lorenzo turned away again. He'd made the overture he hadn't wanted to and been turned down. His conscious was now clear.

"I think she's at home." Bobbie called and when he winced she smiled at being able to inconvenience him. "You need to tell her what's happened and ask her to come."

"Fine." Lorenzo grumbled and muttered under his breath all the way down the hall.

Bobbie gave a passing thought to the fact that he might not follow through on his offer, but hurried down to ICU anyway. One devil at a time was all she could deal with and Ric was definitely the devil she had to deal with tonight.

Riverside Towers

Lorenzo Alcazar was still muttering when he got out of his car. He'd never been the bastard his brother had been but he could be known for his ruthlessness. So he wasn't sure how he'd found himself parking in front of a building that housed the woman who had killed his brother. Or why he was bothering to ask her for help on behalf of a woman he barely knew. There was something very wrong with what he was doing, he knew it but was doing it anyway.

Still he couldn't help but stand by his car and take in the panoramic view of the waterfront that the apartment building offered. The nearly setting sun was seemingly slipping its way through the water turning the light in the evening an eye-catching shade of reddish orange. The heat of the day had gone with the sun and the breeze coming off the water was a nice one. It was going to be a clear, starry summer night that beckoned to young lovers to come out and embrace it and each other.

At one time on a night like this he would have been one of the lovers out strolling by the water with Carly at his side. But apparently their time together hadn't been long enough to enjoy the nice early summer nights. But at the moment he wasn't feeling the love the summer night offered.

Lorenzo reluctantly turned and made his way inside the building. If Alexis Davis would get off the phone he wouldn't have to speak to her in person and that might be for the best. When she had represented Carly in the custody case things had been awkward to say the least. The death of his brother still loomed and that specter was one he didn't think would ever go away. Reaching her door he hesitated briefly at the sound of music coming from inside then knocked sharply on it.

"Pizza's here." Alexis addressed the little girl she held in her arms the same time she opened the door. When she saw her unexpected visitor the smile quickly fell from her face and she felt her stomach drop. It was a reaction she got every time she saw him and probably always would. It was odd to see someone walking around that was the spitting image of someone you'd killed. "What are you doing here?"

"If you'd answer your phone I wouldn't be here." Came Lorenzo's prickly response. But his expression couldn't help but soften when the little girl that was perched on Alexis's hip smiled at him.

Seeing the look that passed between her daughter and Lorenzo Alexis immediately grew concerned. She didn't like it when people took an interest in Kristina. She liked it even less when the person doing the looking had a suspicious mind and probably a hidden agenda.

"I can't think of one thing that we could possibly have to say to each other. So I think you should leave." Alexis made the decision for him and started to close the door.

Lorenzo now knew why he never played the Good Samaritan. It was damn frustrating. Alexis had to know he didn't want to be here anymore then she wanted him here. So if he was here there had to be a good reason, but for some reason she couldn't seem to grasp the concept. Placing his hand on the door he blocked her from closing it. "I'm not here for me I'm here because of Elizabeth Lansing."

Curiosity was a dangerous thing for a lawyer to have but a necessity in the Cassadine family and she had a healthy supply of it. "Come in." Her invitation was anything but welcoming and they both knew it.

Wasting no time Lorenzo stepped inside the cluttered apartment that showed a toddler's presence in every room he could see. Apparently Alexis was a mother who believed in letting her child play in rooms other then a designated playroom and he couldn't help but approve.

"Hold still Kristina." Alexis implored her daughter when she started to squirm but she might as well have been addressing an overeager puppy.

"She's certainly active." Lorenzo commented and smiled at the little girl. This time when she smiled back he was struck by a nagging sense of familiarity.

When Alexis saw his expression change she quickly moved to forestall any questions. "Excuse us." Carrying her squirming child she headed for Kristina's bedroom.

Lorenzo was surprised by her quick retreat. For some reason he had the impression she didn't want to let him out of her sight as long as he was here. But apparently she'd rather have her daughter away from him then watch him with suspicious eyes. He couldn't help but feel insulted by her choice.

"I know why you couldn't get through. Kristina knocked the phone off the hook. That's probably why the pizza guy hasn't shown up either. He wouldn't have been able to call up for me to buzz him in." Alexis theorized upon her return then frowned suspiciously at her uninvited company. "Just how did you get inside?"

"I killed the guard and stole his keys." Lorenzo explained simply.

Crossing her arms Alexis merely waited.

Unimpressed by her less then vocal response he decided to deliver his news and get the hell out of there. "Someone left when I came in, so the door was open, and there was no guard at the station. Maybe someone did kill him."

Alexis grimaced. That was something she'd spoken with the manager about on numerous times. They needed two full-time guards in the lobby to insure no one could just walk in when they were on the rounds.

"You said this was about Elizabeth?" She prompted for the reason for his visit, eager to get rid of him so she could draft a letter to the manager to voice her displeasure, using the most intimidating legal verbiage she had at her disposal. Words like lawsuit, and punitive damages tended to have more of effect on people then please did.

"Elizabeth is in the hospital." Lorenzo quickly filled her in and was surprised at how quickly she could shift from harried mother to determined lawyer.

When Lorenzo had finished Alexis asked no questions but immediately began to speak aloud to herself. "I had an out of town hearing and had the cell off, I must have forgotten to turn it on. I need to get to the hospital and see what I can do to back Ric off."

Lorenzo realized he'd been dismissed without her even saying the words and it rankled. He wasn't used to being ignored especially not by a woman and that was what was occurring now. Alexis may be talking but the words weren't directed to him.

"I need to call Chauncey."

"Chauncey?" The strange name was enough to pull him from his unusual funk.

"Kristina's sitter." Alexis answered automatically and dropped the phone when she finally remembered he was still there. "Thank you for telling me. Thank you for helping Elizabeth. I can't talk now I need to get things done," she brushed past him and opened the door. "Good night."

He automatically walked out the door she opened for him then turned in time to have the door shut in his face. This Good Samaritan crap was for the birds. From now on it was every man for himself. That was something he was very good at. Whatever sense of responsibility he felt for Elizabeth Lansing was now gone. Of that he would make damn sure.

On the other side of the door Alexis listened carefully until she heard him leave. The unexpected visit had been very unnerving so to was the news he'd delivered. She hadn't intended on getting involved in Elizabeth's case. Her specialty was split between the corporate world and defense work. Divorces were to tame for her to focus on so unless she was being blackmailed she tended to ignore that element of the law. She needed to be challenged in her work and although divorce litigations were normally the nastiest of all they weren't very challenging. There was nothing more brutal then when one person fell out of love with the other and the one left behind wanted nothing more then to make them pay.

Divorces may expose the seamy underbelly of human emotion but it was hardly interesting. And in her learned opinion divorce lawyers were barely a step up from the personal injury lawyers who cruised for clients in the emergency rooms, sometimes even before the injured had been treated by a doctor, pestering them to sue.

By rights and by her own arrogant admission _Lansing v. Lansing_ should never have crossed her desk. Her history with Elizabeth had gone back for years and some of that history wasn't pleasant. She could still remember the humiliation she'd felt when she'd gone wedding gown shopping with Elizabeth and Emily and had found the perfect dress only to have it ruined when the press came in. Besides the mortifying memories of the marriage to Ned that wasn't they also shared a history at L&B. But if she were honest she'd have to admit that those reasons weren't the reason why she'd eventually taken the case.

She had taken the case for one reason only to get the best of Ric Lansing. For some unexplained reason he had made himself a presence in her life and she wasn't crazy about that. Besting him in court had taken on a level of pleasure that she normally didn't feel when she won. She knew if she could best him in this situation, in one that meant so much to him, one that was his life, it would be the penultimate victory and confirm her position as the top legal mind on the East coast.

At least those had been her intentions when she'd taken Elizabeth on as a client at a significantly reduced rate. And that ambition was still there but it wasn't the driving force any longer. Elizabeth had worked her way past her considerable defenses and she had grown to care about the young woman. That fact was very surprising to her. With the exception of Chloe Morgan and V Ardnowski she had never had female friends in her life. The friendships she'd tried to make in college had eventually failed either because of her driving ambition, her arrogance or perhaps because she was too sarcastic and quick to voice her opinion on some of their ambitions of marrying the perfect man and having kids and money. That particular dream had never called to her but given her history that wasn't very surprising.

Things had been different with Elizabeth. She found herself forming a relationship with the young woman that had nothing to do with helping her get a divorce. She would have fought tooth and nail on Elizabeth's behalf regardless of how she felt but because she did care for Elizabeth her personal stake in the outcome had increased. She was well aware that Elizabeth was keeping something from her and she had the feeling that whatever it was had the potential to blow Ric out of the water. But for whatever reason Elizabeth had yet to use it. At times she thought it was about the baby, but again she wasn't sure.

Alexis couldn't help but recall the last time she'd spoken with Elizabeth. She had called to tell Elizabeth that Ric had succeeded in getting the hearing date pushed back but instead of getting angry at yet another delay Elizabeth barely reacted. When that sent up warning flags she'd pressed for details and all Elizabeth had said was that she was working on something. And if it worked Ric would be out of her life forever. The cryptic conversation had been her last with Elizabeth, and now she was left to wonder if it was possible that whatever she had been planning had contributed to her injuries. One thing was for certain she wouldn't get her answers by standing in her living room.

"Kristina how would you like to go see Chauncey?" Her daughter's loud squeal of delight was immediate and Alexis made a face. There were times she believed her daughter loved her 6'4" ex-linebacker nanny more then she loved her. Jealousy was always a bitter pill to swallow and tonight was no exception.

General Hospital

Hospitals were never a place you voluntarily wanted to go to. Usually births occurred in them and that was a good thing, but mostly hospitals were associated with illness and death so they were never on anybody's sightseeing list. Visitors and patients alike seemed to equate hospitals with the shroud of death so once you entered it all you wanted to do was leave.

This quirk of human behavior never failed to amuse the people that actually worked in the hospital. That amusement could lead to morbid jokes and pranks that were played on one another in down time. The games the staff played would have horrified the general public but they were a necessary release for the staff. All hospital staff members, nurses especially, were susceptible to something that was aptly called "burnout." Even the most dedicated doctor or nurse would grow weary of losing patients.

As bad as the weariness became it was better then the alternative. Eventually people could become so far gone that they felt nothing at all. When burnout got this bad a nurse could feel nothing when an 8 year old died of a gunshot would when he found his mother's gun box. When the apathy grew that pronounced it was time to find a new profession because they were now a hindrance to the patient not a help.

Because of the high profile and ultimately lethal meltdowns that had occurred in hospitals over the last several years the staff were monitored much more closely then they had been and a rotation system had been devised to help. There were still specialists, but the general R.N.'s would work in several different wards in any given month and that variety led to fewer cases of burnout.

The night Elizabeth Lansing was admitted to critical ICU had the fortune of being Andrew Ridgley's third to last night in this particular rotation. His next rotation was one he was looking forward to. His next assignment was in the nursery and that meant one thing to him … chicks. Babies were such a strong draw to women that they invariably went by the nursery even if they didn't know any of the babies. That meant he would have daily access to babes, and he could hone his already masterful skill with women.

Another reason he was looking forward to the next assignment was because it would be a lot livelier. Critical ICU housed the most serious of injuries so that meant there was only action when one of those patients coded and there was a fight to bring them back to life. Watching someone die was not why he'd gone into the nursing profession. He also hadn't gone in because of some deep-seated desire to help people.

No the reason he'd gone into nursing was the same one he used to make all of his decisions, it had increased his chance to meet women. When he'd heard the nursing ranks were still over 85% women he knew he'd found his calling. He gave a passing thought to becoming a doctor but vetoed that idea for several reasons. It took to damn long to become one and you didn't start making money for years after that. Another factor was he was smart enough to know that he wasn't smart enough to be a doctor.

Nursing suited him fine at this point in his life and even his current rotation wasn't that bad. Sometimes the people visiting the patients could be interesting to watch. An obvious illustration of that fact was the man he was watching through the glass at that very moment.

The man had been inside the room for five minutes now. The guy only had 15 minutes to be inside but had made no move to approach the bed. Andrew couldn't help but wonder what the guy's problem was. He'd promised Doctor Quartermaine he wouldn't take his eyes off the man and Monica Quartermaine was one person you didn't want to piss off so he'd quickly agreed. The fact she'd asked him to do that had kindled his interest in the man and spurred his imagination into trying to come up with reasons to explain the man's strange behavior not to mention the Doctor's obvious dislike of the stranger.

* * *

Ric couldn't seem to move. He had been fine, and in control when he was standing in the outer room looking at his wife through the glass as Monica lectured him on her condition. But the instant he stepped through the door that changed, everything in his life changed. The first thing he was struck by was the sound. The beep the heart monitor was making seemed loud and not quite fast enough. Shouldn't her heartbeat be faster then that?

Next came the smell. The antiseptically clean odor that always permeated hospital rooms. The odor could make the healthy sick and drive them to leave. Finally there was the sight. The sight of an ashen faced Elizabeth lying unconscious in a bed. It was strange to see her without the weight of the pregnancy on her stomach. Without the weight she shifted from being small to petite and her apparent frailty rocked him.

He had done this to her. He was the reason she was lying in the hospital bed. It was the second time he'd caused her injury. The second time he'd caused her to be admitted into the hospital. And both times had been caused largely for the same reasons, the drugs he'd used on her. He might have been able to deny it when he was around Carly and others but he couldn't deny it when faced with her. Carly's accusation was probably accurate. His arrogance, his need to destroy Sonny at any cost might very well have cost Elizabeth her health.

"I'm so sorry."

The words were scratchy and could barely be heard. And yet he couldn't move closer and say them again. As much as he wanted to touch her he couldn't. Right now his guilt, his fear was choking him. In that instant he fully realized the depth of love he had for his wife. He didn't just love her to form a family he had always desperately wanted. He loved her because of her, and in the end he'd killed her love for him and nearly killed her as well.

"I'll fix it Elizabeth." He promised as his breathing unconsciously took on the tempo of the heartbeat coming from the monitor. "I will find a way to fix this and make things up to you. I will find away to make amends so you can forgive me. You have to forgive me," he whispered then firmed his voice. "Once you do we'll be a family again you, me and our little girl."

He took a step towards the bed then stopped. "I'll fix everything," he vowed again. Turning he walked from the room having never touched her hand. He spied Bobbie watching him out of the corner of his eye and didn't give a flicker of reaction as he continued to the hall.

He knew Elizabeth's pit bull defender had no doubt been waiting to kick him out of the room the instant the fifteen minutes were up and he took great pleasure in causing Bobbie disappointment. First thing in the morning he would make sure to get her reassigned. Her negativity would only be a detriment to Elizabeth's recovery. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Elizabeth would recover and he would be by her side every step of the way. That's what husbands were for and in doing that he would prove himself to her once again. He had vowed to be with her in sickness and in health till death do they part and he meant every word.

It was difficult to think about death when he was staring life in the face. Without consciously knowing it when he left Elizabeth he had made his way to the nursery. In the second row on the left he saw a nametag that warmed his heart. _Baby Girl Lansing_. It was difficult to see her because of the distance and the fact she was in an incubator but all that would change tomorrow. As her legal father he would be allowed inside the nursery, he might even be allowed to hold her. Once he did she would be _his_ daughter in every sense of the word.

There was only one cloud of unease that hovered over his plans and that was the divorce papers Elizabeth had tricked him into signing. He needed to get them back before they were filed. Everything he ever wanted was almost in his grasp, a wife and a child. He wasn't about to let them slip through his fingers. Checking his watch he was relieved to see it was after 9:00 that meant total darkness would have fallen and most kids would be indoors. That meant there was less of a chance that he would be spotted when he broke into Elizabeth's apartment to retrieve the papers.

Penthouse

Carly moved slowly to the elevator doors. She might have physically left the hospital but her mind still remained there. It seemed to be stuck in a continuous loop that had a split focus between Alcazar's brutal insights into her character and Elizabeth's desperate plea for help. That plea had brought up all the old feelings and memories that were buried deep inside of her regarding her own brutal fight to keep her children. She'd had to fight so hard for so long, first with Tony, then the Quartermaine's, and finally Sonny so many people and for so many years.

Mixed with those uncomfortable memories was the devastating effect Lorenzo's eerily accurate observations about her were. Lorenzo had been right on so many levels but he had to be wrong as well. If he wasn't what did that say about her? She had to believe that he was wrong, that his words were caused by bitterness it was the only way she knew how to function. She knew how to bury what was wrong, what she couldn't fix so she could keep going on.

The elevator doors opened before her and she found herself face to face with a distraught Sonny. Dimly she registered the fact he had returned to town but didn't greet him or offer him a welcome home, she just moved past him and onto the elevator.

"What the hell happened to you?" Sonny followed her onto the elevator and turned her around looking for the injury that would explain the blood on her clothes. When one of his guard's, Manny, had called in to report seeing Carly at the hospital with blood on her his heart had nearly stopped. All he could think was that she'd been hurt while he had been off pursuing Sam, and guilt hit him hard. He couldn't deny it any longer he loved her, he probably would always love her, and he didn't like to think of her in physical pain.

"Do you have to yell?" Carly asked tiredly.

"Carly you have blood on you."

"It's not mine." She answered wearily as the elevator doors finally opened. "Did you find your little friend?"

Ignoring the dig Sonny pursued her to get answers to his questions. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you but right now all I want to do is shower and change my clothes." She turned to head for the penthouse on the left.

"Carly our home is the other way." Sonny reminded her gently and wondered if she was hurt in spite of what she'd said to the contrary.

"I don't live there anymore." Carly's reply was easy unlocking the door to Jason's penthouse she walked inside, tossing her keys on the desk.

"What?" Perplexed Sonny followed her inside.

"Sonny where were you just now?" Carly asked.

"In our home where else would I have been?" He snapped.

"You were at home and you didn't notice that all of my stuff and most of the kids stuff was gone?" Carly shook her head when he visibly blanched. Why was it she didn't even feel surprised only disappointed?

Sonny's attention finally moved from his wife to the penthouse and he could see the scattering of toys throughout the living room, toys that used to be in his home. "What is going?"

"I moved my things, the kids things, into here, while you were gone. Don't worry I didn't surprise Jason, he knew about it in advance, his only requirement was that I be the one to tell you." She explained briefly.

"Carly I know you may be hurt that I left town to find Sam," he broke off when she began to laugh.

"Sam is supposedly pregnant with your child. Where the hell else would you have been when you found out she left the country?" Carly's question was bitterer then Sonny would ever know. She was painfully aware how seriously he took the responsibility of his children. It was funny a man who only had one child for years now suddenly was going to have 4. Of course he wasn't aware of one of them, and the other may not even exist. It was funny, only she couldn't laugh.

"If you understand why did you leave?" Sonny's question was uneasy, and he braced himself for her answer. "Why did you leave our home?"

"That's not a home Sonny it's a fortress and the kids and I want out."

"You don't mean that. We agreed when you moved back in that we would do whatever it takes to make things work to stay together for the kids."

"We made that deal when Michael almost died and we would have promised anything to help him. Guess what reality happened and the deal makes no sense. No matter how much we love Michael we can't live our lives according to his wants or fears," she explained with a calmness even she was surprised by. "He's a little boy he can't be allowed to call the shots."

Sonny knew what she was saying was right but was terrified that he was losing his family, and that was the last thing he wanted. Originally Sam had been a buffer to help him keep a distance from his wife but it had obviously failed on several levels. The first was when he really began to care for Sam and now because it looked like he'd lost Carly anyway. He felt like he was being torn in two.

"The last time we lived apart we put Michael in the hospital." He reminded her brutally. He wasn't going to lose his family without one hell of a fight.

"No our fighting, the way we used the kids as weapons to hurt each other is what put him in the hospital." Calmness gone Carly fired back. "We have to make sure that doesn't happen this time. And I'm trying to do that, instead of being across town the kids and I will be across the hall so you can see them several times a day if you want, and they can see you."

"Are you leaving because of Sam and the baby? Are you mad that I continued to be with her even after you moved in? Because I told you in advance I was keeping her in my life." He had known when Carly found out about the pregnancy she was going to be mad and he'd have to do damage control, but before he could do that Sam had disappeared. Sam was pregnant with his child there was no way he could let her just walk away. He'd had to go after her and bring her back. And obviously that had been a mistake on his part as far as Carly was concerned, but he would be damned before he apologized for it.

"Do you even hear yourself? Will I get mad if you sleep with another woman and get her pregnant?" Carly demanded angrily. "I won't live in a loveless marriage I've been there before and I'm not going back again." She poked him hard in the chest. Angry and hurt she couldn't help but lash out. "And if you think I'm going to stay around while your mistress has your baby your insane. The divorce is back on, the papers will be filed in the morning."

"You don't mean that." Suddenly it was hard for him to breathe. He wanted Sam in his life and there was no way he could walk away from his yet to be born baby, but he couldn't let Carly walk away either.

Carly's heart broke but she remained firm and spiteful. "It's going to happen Sonny, so deal with it. Hell take advantage of it, you'll be able to marry Sam and give your kid your name, if in fact she is pregnant, and if the kid really is yours." She could see his stunned expression turn into an angry one and knew she'd scored a point. "It's late I'm going to shower and go to bed. I'll tell Michael in the morning you can come over and tell him with me if you want."

"I don't want you to tell him anything because this isn't over."

"Yes it is. I'm not taking orders from you anymore Sonny, if you want to order someone around talk to your new little friend." When she went to walk up the stairs he caught a hold of her arm to stop her.

When Carly yanked hard to free herself his hand slipped free when he looked at it he was surprised by the flecks of dried blood that came away with it, desperate for a distraction he jumped on it. "Whose blood is this?"

"Elizabeth's." She offered without any explanation and again headed for the stairs.

"Carly." He snapped. "What the hell happened is she okay? Is the baby?"

"The baby is premature but healthy, she's in an incubator," Carly finally gave a little.

"She?"

"Congratulations Sonny you have a niece. Can I go to bed now?" Carly's question was flat leaving no doubt to her lack of interest.

"Why are you acting like this and why do you know all this? It's not like your friends." Sonny pressed for more answers.

"You want to know why?" Infuriated all over again Carly turned on him. "I'll tell you why. I have Elizabeth's blood on me because I found her lying in a pool of blood in the brownstone. The baby may be fine but she sure the hell isn't. That bastard of a brother of yours, the one you won't let anyone touch, caused Elizabeth to have a stroke." Sonny recoiled. "That's right Sonny. The girl you and Jason once cared about, once warned me repeatedly to back off of, is lying in a hospital bed after having a stroke that your brother helped to cause. Is that a good enough answer for you?"

"Elizabeth had a stroke?"

Both were startled by the softly asked question that came from the direction of the door. Carly turned to find a shell-shocked Jason standing in the doorway. Instantly all the anger and vindictiveness she was feeling vanished and she hurried to him. "I didn't want you to hear like this."

"There's an easier way to hear?" Jason wondered in disbelief.

"No." She took his hands in hers to offer comfort.

"What do you mean a stroke?" Jason's eyes drifted from her face and took in the dried blood on her clothes and paled.

Carly held onto his hands when he tried to drop them and began to talk. She knew he'd look at her face as long as she was talking. "I found Elizabeth unconscious at the brownstone. She'd fallen and hit her head and was in labor. The baby is early but she's going to be just fine."

"What about Elizabeth?" It had been a long time since he'd spoken to Elizabeth but that didn't mean he'd stopped caring for her. They had been friends for too long for those feelings to vanish entirely.

"There were complications," Carly tried to explain as gently as she could. "Apparently at some point she suffered a stroke. The doctor's won't know how serious it is until she wakes up."

Bowing his head Jason kept his eyes locked on their joined hands. "You said Ric caused the stroke. How is that possible?"

"I was just lashing out. You know me I hate Ric so I blame him for everything," Carly tried to evade.

This time it was his hands that held on when she tried to let go. "Carly what did you mean?"

Unsure how to proceed Carly looked over at Sonny hoping he could help but he seemed to be as curious as Jason. She wasn't sure how Jason would take her news she wasn't sure what his feelings were for Elizabeth. There had been a time he was in love with her. But that had been before Courtney, before his marriage and hers. She might be worrying about his reaction for no reason but she didn't think so. Jason was extremely loyal, she was living proof of that, and once he loved someone he didn't stop caring for them unless there was a betrayal that was too big to forgive.

"Carly tell me." Jason prompted.

"When Ric was holding me hostage I know he drugged Elizabeth several times. I'm not saying that caused her stroke. But she's so young and has no history of heart problems it could have been a contributing factor," she answered finally.

Letting her hands drop Jason took a step back and tried to understand the words. Nothing felt real to him, and hadn't since he'd interrupted the fight between Sonny and Carly. He'd thought they were arguing about Carly's decision to leave but it turned out to be that much worse and incomprehensible to understand. It sounded unbelievable yet there was blood on her clothes and Elizabeth was lying in a hospital bed and once again it was Ric's fault. Turning abruptly he walked out the door towards the elevator.

"Jason." Racing after him Carly caught his arm trying to stop him. "Don't do anything stupid."

Ignoring her he pulled away and hit the elevator call button.

"If you go over there and do something to Ric all that will happen is you will go to jail. You need to calm down and think." The irony that it was her turn to tell Jason to think was not lost on her.

"She's right Jason." Sonny stepped into the hall. "You need to be smart about this."

Jason sent a cold look in his direction. "All I know is if you would have let me take Ric out when I wanted too Elizabeth probably wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed right now."

Sonny's reply was similarly cold and equally devastating. "And if you had taken him out when I did tell you she probably wouldn't be lying in the hospital bed."

"Sonny." Carly hissed when she saw Jason's hand begin to shake. "Come back inside Jason we'll talk."

"No." His voice sounded strange to his ears and judging from her expression it sounded wrong to her as well. "I need to leave."

"Jase."

"I won't do anything stupid."

Reluctantly she let Jason go and watched him get on the elevator, he wouldn't meet her eyes. She waited for the doors to close before turning to Sonny. "He better not get caught."

"We'll make sure he's not." Sonny promised.

For some reason Carly wasn't reassured. Muttering she moved past him to the penthouse door. "I guess were done then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight?" Sonny repeated in surprise and caught the door before she could close it on him. "Our conversation isn't over yet Carly. It won't be over until you and the kids come back home."

"Why are you so determined to get me back in your penthouse?" Carly wanted to know. "Are you planning on moving your mistress in here and want me out?" When Sonny grimaced she knew that had been his plan and was infuriated. "Do you really think I would live across the hall from her? Do you even know me at all? Is there any part of you that thinks I would just calmly go along with this idea?"

Sonny was wise enough not to answer.

"Christ Sonny do you have any idea how stupid you were? Do you even realize how much you've risked by playing around with her?" Carly's frustration and anger spilled out.

"What the hell are you talking now?" Sonny asked crossly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Carly snapped and when his expression remained cross she took great pleasure in enlightening him. "After what happened to Stone how could you put yourself at risk like that? What were you thinking? With her history how could you sleep with her without a condom?"

Stunned by the unexpected attack Sonny gave the most basic answer. "Sam isn't sick."

Carly smirked slightly. "You know that for sure?" She advanced on him. "She was a hooker for crying out loud. Did she give you a certificate dated six months ago proving she was clean? Or did she just tell you she was fine and you decided to believe her and play Russian roulette with your life?"

"She doesn't have HIV." Sonny snapped.

"You don't know that for sure. You can't tell by looking at someone, Saint Robin is proof of that. And if you need more proof look what just happened in the porn industry." Carly sniped.

"She's not a porn star." Sonny went from upset to angry in a heartbeat.

"She was a hooker, she sleeps with people for money just like porn actors and who is to say there isn't a tape or two floating around showing what she apparently does best?" Carly's nastiness was shining through and after all the tension and stress of the day she embraced it whole-heartedly.

Sonny was capable of being just a cruel as his wife. "I seem to remember you didn't give me a certificate showing that you were clean when you showed up at my door on that cold November night." The instant the words left his mouth he knew he'd made a mistake.

Ashen-faced Carly went ice cold. Sonny had just crossed a line that should have never been crossed and she didn't know if she would ever forgive him for it.

"Contrary to popular opinion I was never a whore." Her movements were jerky when she walked to the door and opened it. "Go back to your whore I'm done with you Sonny."

Her coldly delivered words were so unlike Carly that he couldn't help but do as she ordered. He regretted what he'd said, he regretted this whole situation, and wasn't sure how he could fix it. "Carly."

"The divorce will go through. You can see the kids, but stay the hell away from me." Carly slammed the door in his face.

Stunned Sonny could only stare at the closed door. He wanted to knock, he wanted to apologize but didn't know how. He never could seem to apologize even when he knew he should. And in this case what was he apologizing for? His comments to her of a minute ago, or the fact he had another child on the way? There was no way he could apologize for having another child, even if it didn't happen to be with her.

Then the elevator doors opened behind he turned to see who was there.

"Is this a good time?" Sam asked quietly the bag she'd traveled to South America with still on her shoulder.

General Hospital

"Thanks for cleaning things up Lucas. The last thing Elizabeth needs to see when she comes home is the mess the medics left behind." Bobbie paused to listen to her son. "I don't know when I'll be home but if you go out be back by midnight, and try not to get into trouble."

"Any change?" Monica waited for Bobbie to hang up before making her presence known. She wasn't surprised to find her friend in ICU staring in vain through a window at an unconscious woman she cared deeply about.

"Her vitals are stable, but she hasn't done anything that shows she's trying to wake up." Bobbie reported.

"That's to be expected Bobbie. This is going to take time." She gently reminded the longtime nurse.

"I know but just because I know doesn't make it any easier to deal with. In fact because I know the harsh realities she will be facing when she wakes up it makes things even worse."

That feeling was one Monica knew very well. She had lived it not to long ago herself. As a doctor she'd seen what cancer could do. As a cancer survivor she'd lived through the ravages it caused first hand. But none of that compared to what she'd gone through upon learning her daughter had been stricken with the disease. As a doctor she was arrogant enough to believe she could save anyone. As a mother she'd vowed to protect her child at any cost. But in that moment she'd been unable to do anything to help. Being helpless was a bitter pill for a powerful woman to sallow. Knowing your child was sick and you were powerless to do anything about it was one of a parent's worst nightmares.

She had gone through similar nightmares with all her children. First there had been Dawn, losing her in such a brutal and pointless way had stole some of her belief in life. Next came Jason the loss of one version of her son was tempered by the eventual replacement of another, but still it had been a hard blow to absorb. So to was living through A.J.'s love affair with the bottle that was killing him an inch at a time. And then there was Emily. No parent should ever outlive their child it messed with the natural order of things.

"Do you believe Carly was right?" Bobbie finally broke the silence that had fallen.

"About the drugs?" Monica considered her words carefully. She knew how attached Bobbie was to Elizabeth and she also knew how formidable an enemy she could be when someone she cared about was threatened. Ric could very well find himself lost in the catacombs with wounds similar to the ones that had nearly killed Damian Smith if he wasn't careful.

"Quit stalling." Because they were friends and because they were alone Bobbie took steps to try to ease her friend's mind. "I promise not to retaliate anytime soon or in anyway that can be traced back to me. Have you forgotten I already owe Ric for what he did to Carly? I know how to be patient when I need to be. I know how to craft a revenge that is worthy of the original crime."

Instead of easing Monica's mind Bobbie's words only increased her worry.

"Monica."

"You know as well as I do that the strain that is placed on the organs, especially the heart, because of drug use can be devastating on the body. I reviewed Elizabeth's medical records from the time she was admitted last fall, there was a beginning of a strain on the heart back then. But Elizabeth was young, she was healthy and she had no real history of any heart disease so the decision was made to monitor her condition, and Doctor Michaels did that throughout the pregnancy."

"And the pregnancy added to the strain on her heart. Then there was the stress she was under because of that bastard husband of hers and all of it pushed her over the edge and into the hospital bed." Bobbie completed the rundown.

"We're never going to be able to point to just one thing and say this is what caused this but I'm fairly confident that it was a mix of these factors that led to the blockage and the stroke," Monica agreed. As an answer it wasn't very comforting but it was the most accurate one she had.

"What will we be dealing with when she wakes up?" Bobbie asked.

"You know as well as I do."

"I need to hear it Monica." She turned to look at her oldest friend with a shimmer of tears in her eyes. "I need you to tell me so it will be real to me."

Nodding Monica took Bobbie's hand to offer comfort. In that moment she wasn't a nurse, a co-worker, she was simply a woman who was concerned about a patient and wanted answers.

"We won't know how invasive the stroke was until she wakes. The worst-case possibilities include paralysis, brain damage, memory loss, trouble with speech. We can't say if she will suffer these after effects but we also can't say she won't. All we can do now is wait and monitor and if she's in pain try to ease it with drugs."

"Isn't that what brought her here in the first place?" Bobbie brushed a tear from her cheek then stopped the rest from falling. "I'm going to go sit with her for awhile."

"Okay." Monica stood when her friend did and offered a hug she knew she needed. "Page me if you anything changes or if you just want to talk."

"I will." Bobbie promised and entered the room where Elizabeth lay motionless. Unlike Ric she had no problem moving forward to the bed and taking Elizabeth's hand even though she felt a sense of guilt as well.

"You did it Elizabeth." Bobbie perched on the mattress. "You delivered your bowling ball and it turned out to be a beautiful, healthy little girl. And that little girl needs her mother. So you have to fight Elizabeth. Fight your way back to your daughter."

Brownstone

Ric's careful, but quick search of Elizabeth's apartment had yielded nothing. Well nothing but brutal memories and reflections. Her things were everywhere in the apartment, her presence was everywhere as well, and that was overwhelming to face. Her favorite robe was lying at the foot of the bed. A half-filled sketchbook rested on the night table next to a book on being a new mother. Both were well-worn, well-used and so Elizabeth. He missed living with her. He missed the little quirks that made her unique. He had to get her back. The memories had a grip on him and because of that he was nearly discovered. He heard the sound of the door opening just in time to run back to the bedroom out of sight. Hiding behind the door he listened to figure out who the visitor was.

"I thought you said you cleaned everything up."

"I did." Lucas Jones replied. "I just want to make one final check before we meet the others at the Outback for the grand reopening. My mom will kill me if it's not perfect for when Elizabeth returns."

"Will she return?" Maxie Jones asked. "A stroke is pretty serious. When my grandmother had one she was in a rehabilitation center for months."

"Mom sounds perky and confident. In other words she's freaking out," Lucas's knew the insight into his mother was accurate.

"I know how she feels," Maxie sighed.

"Are things still tense with your mom?" Lucas was content to stand in the empty apartment and talk to her. It felt like it had been months since they actually talked and during that time they had both changed a lot. He missed his cousin by adoption.

"Felicia doesn't seem to grasp the concept of tense," Maxie groused. "She's too busy pretending that she was only gone for a weekend rather then almost a year. It's sad. She's reopening the Outback, starting up her P.I. career again, promising to take care of Mac and us, and she doesn't have a freaking clue. She should go back to Texas or wherever the hell she's been and forget all about us. It shouldn't be that hard for her to do, she's certainly done it often enough in the past."

Lucas could understand the bitterness even if he didn't feel it himself. He knew that if his dad wanted to start spending time with him again he would jump at the chance, but apparently Maxie didn't feel the same about her mom.

"We better go before Dillon tries to convince Felicia to book his latest discovery sight unseen." Lucas took a final look around the apartment then headed for the door.

"Have you even met this mysterious Lynn?" Maxie asked.

"No but according to Dillon she has an amazing voice," he rolled his eyes to show the opinion he had of Dillon at times.

"I think Georgie is more concerned with what she looks like, then what she sounds like," Maxie commented and joined in the eye roll. At times her sister's insecurity was hard to take.

Ric waited for the voices to fade, for the door to close before making his way from the bedroom to the living room. He hadn't liked hearing how long it took Maxie's grandmother to heal, of course that was an old woman while Elizabeth wasn't even 25 yet. That had to effect her recovery time.

Brushing that thought aside he turned his thoughts back to the papers he'd yet to find. If he hadn't found them that meant no one else would. And by the time Elizabeth was mobile she wouldn't want to divorce him. That only left one potential problem. Grace Philips. If she heard the news about Elizabeth, she might very well come forward and tell the truth about the signed divorce papers. He couldn't let that happened.

His determination to stop her led to his quick exit from the Brownstone and race to the car. He needed to find someway to back her off. He had a feeling threats wouldn't work on Grace so he needed to find another way to back her off. He had almost reached his office to get her address when he remembered the fact she was leaving in the morning on a round the worlds cruise. There was a very good chance she wouldn't hear about Elizabeth at all.

Smiling in triumph Ric turned the car in the direction of the hospital. If she showed up at the hospital in the morning he would find a way to deal with it. But for now he needed to get back to his family. He had the night to figure out a way to back her off that was more then enough time.

An Island in the Pacific

"Why are you calling? I thought I told you it was dangerous to use this number?"

"I had to call. Something's happened that you need to know about." The voice on the other end of the line hesitated then went on. "It's about Elizabeth and her child."

General Hospital

Night was full upon the city when Ric finally pulled up in front of the hospital. Though his initial mission had been unsuccessful he was sure he would find the papers eventually, until he did he would keep Elizabeth isolated so she couldn't tell others where they were. If Alexis got them on file he could lose his position in Elizabeth's life and that was something he wouldn't tolerate. Besides now that the baby was born he had the right to take custody while Elizabeth was healing.

Smothering a yawn he headed for the entrance and was about five feet from the doors when he was grabbed from behind and dragged into a side alley. Before he could yell or react in any way he was thrown hard against the brick wall of the building. The impact was hard enough that it jarred the breath from him.

Stunned Ric could only stare at the man that was advancing on him. Holding out his hand to ward him off he finally took a breath and sucked in the smell of onions that came from the trash bin at the end of the enclosed alley.

"Jason."

"I warned you what would happen if you hurt her." Jason's words were quiet, his tone ice cold while his eyes were heated with anger and that combination was quite chilling to behold.

"I did…" That was as far as he got before the mob enforcer struck and struck hard.

The impact from the blows faded after the first few, numbness quickly overrode the pain and he seemed to implode. All strength slipped from his body and Ric collapsed on the dirty ground in an alley that reeked of onions and days old trash. He vaguely wondered if the smell would accompany him into death.


End file.
